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Return of the triumphant trumpeter
Jonathan Powell's career has blasted off in blaze of talent. At 19, he makes his home base in New York, but he and his group are here to entertain the home crowd.
By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 3, 2002
At 19, New York jazz/hip-hop musician Jonathan Powell returns to his Tampa Bay roots with a resume that would make most seasoned artists proud.
Raised in St. Petersburg, Powell finished high school at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts. After that, Powell split the states for Canada, where he studied with avant garde jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas, one of Powell's idols.
"It was a great experience," says Powell. "That guy is one of the most revolutionary musical minds today."
In Canada, Powell met and fell head over heels for pianist Yayoi Ikawa, 24, whom he calls his "soulmate." The two have been romantically involved for six months. The duo also performs together in the Jonathan Powell Group, which played a series of Tampa Bay area gigs last weekend and continues this weekend with several more. (These shows won't include Ikawa, who has returned to Tokyo to visit family.)
What's it like creating and performing with your girlfriend? Does it bring extra stress? Friction? Nervousness?
Exactly the opposite, says Powell.
"It's paradise. They feed off each other, the music and the other thing," he says. "It grows and grows."
The Jonathan Powell Group features Powell on trumpet, turntables and sampler, and his brother Jeremy, now also living in New York, on saxophone. (The Powells are a musical family: mom Shelly plays cello; dad Larry is the bassist for the Impacs.)
The act blends jazzy funk with electronic samples and hip-hop grooves. It's a sound that's heating up the musical underground. Powell, who performs at hip venues such as the Knitting Factory when he's home in New York, is confident he's creating music on a cutting edge that will eventually entice the masses.
"Everything starts in the underground," Powell says. "But this stuff will be common soon. It will be the thing."
He cites hip-hop composers such as Mos Def, DJ Shadow and DJ Spooky as innovators in blending jazz with hip-hop. In New York, Powell has collaborated with Q-Tip of the legendary hip-hop outfit A Tribe Called Quest, now an acclaimed solo artist.
Powell himself began composing at 14.
Who are other musical idols?
"Miles (Davis), of course," Powell says. "And (Jimi) Hendrix. Even singers like Joni Mitchell."
Though the Jonathan Powell Group features no singers at the moment, the act samples a capella voices singing and weaves those into its sonic tapestry.
Several Tampa Bay area musicians perform with the group this weekend, including Jonathan Priest on drums, Philip Booth on bass, Jim Beckwith on percussion and Raulton Reichel on keyboards.
PREVIEW
Jonathan Powell plays with Ghetto Love Sugar at 9 p.m. today at King Corona, 1523 E Seventh Ave., Tampa; with Jeremy Powell, Jim Beckwith and Raulton Reichel at 9 p.m. Friday at the Pharm, 941 Huntley Ave., Dunedin; and with Jeremy Powell and Ghetto Love Sugar at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Orpheum, 1902 Avenida Republica de Cuba, Tampa.
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